Damned
by Hango
Summary: They used to be partners, friends, maybe even family. But after a fatal event, the relationship between the two archers of Star City lies in tatters. Can Green Arrow save Roy from the consequences of his actions? One-shot.


**I don't own YJ  
**

**Damned**

* * *

Oliver Queen was no longer rendered speechless by the tall and spotless white columns of the North Portico, mostly because they were not that remarkable at all. Maybe the first time he'd been there the weight of authority and history got to him. Now, as he took a look at the freshly-appointed members of the Justice League, he figured that some of his newest teammates were feeling the same way as he did back then.

_Like a bunch of kids in a candy shop_, Oliver thought, and allowed himself a smirk, which wasn't an unusual thing for him to do. No; Oliver was smiling a lot, even when he didn't really have a reason to do so.

Recalling how he felt when he visited the White House for the first time, Oliver found it somewhat weird that only three persons were marveling at their surroundings: Plastic Man, who was compelled to wear a suit instead of his regular tights (which were thought to be rather out of place in the nearly two hundred year old building, which begged the question why Superman was allowed to wear his usual outfit); Atom, who's chosen to be normal sized this time; and much more surprisingly Icon. The big black guy was staring with silent awe at the huge Ionic order columns and the tympana over the windows.

Zatara's eyes behind the Helmet of Fate, on the other hand, showed no expression at all, which was actually completely natural. The fact that Red Arrow, Oliver's former protégé was almost as indifferent as the emotionless Doctor Fate, was much stranger

„C'mon, Roy… The Hall of Justice wasn't enough, I get it… But you're going to get to see the President, boy!"

Red Arrow only grunted at this, as they followed the young female secretary into the Entrance Hall, with at least a dozen members of the Secret Service following them.

_These guys should go and grab a coffee. After all, if a situation would occur that even Superman can't handle, then I don't think they'll have much use of their guns, _Oliver thought, rolling his eyes behind his domino mask. He never really liked all the fuss around high-ranking officials.

„We are in the Entrance Hall now, Lady and Gentlemen," the small secretary said in a surprisingly loud and confident voice, gesturing around at the white walls, with portraits of former presidents hanging on them. „The President's schedule is tight, so please, pay attention, and try to stick to the plan as follows: the President will meet you in person in the Blue Room in ten minutes, and give you his personal congratulations for your promotion; exactly at 11:00 AM, the President shall hold a press conference. Note that all of you are invited to a state dinner this evening. A tuxedo is mandatory at the latter event."

„How come he doesn't meet us in his office?" asked Roy in a low tone, but the woman heard him nevertheless.

„Believe it, or not, people do important work in the West Wing, Mr. Arrow, and this meeting is considered to be ceremonial, not official," said the woman, frowning at the readheaded archer, before turning her back on him, and motioning with her hand to the League members to follow.

„Well, kiddo, if you planned to ask her out, you should forget it," said Oliver, nudging Roy with his elbow. „Besides, you can't be serious. Men this size would do a lot of damage to the Oval Office merely by being there. You didn't believe all those stories about it being bigger than in the picture, did you?"

"Oh, please, spare me, Ollie," huffed Roy, and with that, he trampled after the others.

Oliver scowled at this. What was wrong with that kid? It was supposed to be his big day…

"Hey, you okay, big guy?" asked a pleasant female voice, and a light hand appeared on Oliver's shoulder. He put his bigger palm on her gentle fingers, and answered:

"He's still mad at me."

"He loves you. You should never forget that, sweetie! You were the father he always longed for…"

That was true, and Oliver knew it, but then again Roy was always an incredibly independent and a bit premature boy. He was already a teenager when he became his partner as Speedy, and also an excellent marksman by that time. The situation was very similar to the way Oliver got to mentor Artemis, so the older archer couldn't help but wonder if he was destined to deal with nearly grown up kids.

Dinah, Oliver's mate, who was now standing right behind him and placing soft kisses on his neck, was right, of course: Roy always said that his father was a really busy man, a typical workaholic, who didn't have enough time for his family. And during his early teens, Roy developed some sort of worship towards Oliver's alias, Green Arrow, Star City's number one hero. This was the reason why Roy took up archery, and he showed exceptional talent: his trainer said Roy would stand great chance at the Olympics with his skills. But the boy had a different plan: he offered his services to Oliver, who simply couldn't turn Roy down.

Maybe it was because Oliver was a stubborn and egoistic man throughout his whole life, just like Roy's biological father, but life gave him a chance to change by taking away everything from him. Work and success was his life, until the very point when all his assets have gone south: then he figured something was missing, something important. He wanted family, people to rely on. And there was Roy, a young man who sought the same things Oliver wanted. It seemed perfect, as if it was arranged by fate.

Because of the mutual need, Oliver was much softer than other mentors of the Justice League. Oliver was the leader of their duo only because of his significantly vaster experience and age, but Roy was more of a partner than a sidekick. This was the reason why the young hero couldn't stomach, in the end of the day, when the Justice League refused to accept him as a member, and Oliver did nothing but watched.

"I just don't get it… He wanted to be part of this, and now he is. Why isn't he happy?"

"Didn't it occur to you that he thinks seeing the Watchtower is a bigger deal than shaking hands with the head of the state? We both know Roy doesn't really like authority," Dinah laughed.

"Yeah… I guess you're right. I wonder where does that come from…"

"You're talking to a psychiatrist by trade, Robin Hood," mocked Dinah, and she took the big man by his hand. "He's still a teenager, no matter the more mature outfit and the constant frown on his face, which he considers threatening. Of course he hates being bossed around. I just hope for his sake that he'll watch his tongue when talking to Batman."

"You mean Batman's sake, right?" they both laughed at this, and Oliver hardly realized someone was coughing mildly behind him in order to catch his attention.

"Uhm, Mr… Arrow, would you please follow the others? I suppose they've already headed for the Blue Room…," told a suited bodyguard, bigger than Oliver if that was even possible, when the archer turned around to search for the source of the noise.

"Oh… Of course, I'm sorry!"

"Don't bother, Gentlemen," said Dinah, flashing such a smirk towards the men some of them had to loosen their neckties. "We know the way."

And she dragged him out of the huge room with surprising ease into the hallway with a high ceiling, floor covered with red carpet and expensive-looking paintings facing the wide space between the walls. They didn't get far, though, because Oliver couldn't take it any longer. He pushed Dinah against the wall next to a sculpture, and brushed his mustache against the woman's smooth skin.

Dating Dinah was probably the best thing which happened to him since teaming up with Speedy. Just as Roy brought light in his life after his enterprise went bankrupt, Dinah gave him hope after the departure of Roy. He wasn't sure whether he was in love with the tall and stunning blonde woman, or he was only grateful for the fact she was there for him, but for the time being it didn't really matter.

"Sweetie…," said Dinah, preventing the man from kissing her by turning her head away. "You don't want to miss Roy's big moment, do you? Besides, armed people are following us…"

"Oh…," told Oliver, and he let the woman go, right before the confused bodyguards entered the hallway. "You're right, of course".

Dinah adjusted her black blouse with a blush on her face, and then she took the big man's arm, and they continued with their pace towards the Blue Room, where they were supposed to meet the President of the United States.

The room's shape was circular, and enormous windows opened at the garden, letting a whole lot of sunlight in. The interior was indeed dominated by the color blue: the curtains, the gigantic carpet, even the fabric covering certain pieces of furniture were royal blue. Amongst all this blue the red costumes worn by some League members seemed thoroughly out of place.

All people were standing — save the casual Plastic Man, who had always been kind of a rebel —, and waited for one of the most powerful men on Earth to enter. No matter the President was no metahuman, not quite an expert in martial arts and by no means a genius, he governed a country with the largest economy in the world, and he did command enormous military power, so great that it would even take the Justice League a huge effort to beat his forces.

Not that they had any problem with the current administration. The former ones were quite reluctant to acknowledge a society of extraordinary people vowing to protect the innocent, but after saving the planet countless times, the White House (not to mention Whitehall, the Kremlin, Beijing and so on) accepted the fact that governments are not the only organizations capable of protecting their citizens effectively any more.

"When will they bring the beverages? I'd give my life for a soda right now," said Plastic Man, sitting on a small chair covered with blue fabric.

"You have absolutely no sense of humility, do you?" asked Icon, raising an eyebrow behind his domino mask.

"And you have absolutely no sense of humor, do you? Are you absolutely sure you are not Kryptonian?"

"I guess that's an answer to your question, Icon," giggled Oliver, as he and Dinah entered the room, and the archer wearing green stood right next to the brooding form of Roy. "Look, kid, I know that you think this is a waste of time…"

Oliver stopped talking. There was something really weird about Roy. His mind was completely in another world, he wasn't paying any attention at all.

"Roy, are you…"

"Look, Ollie, I'm alright, okay? It's just…"

Oliver realized at that point that Roy was lying. He had known him for years, and there was quite a time during those years when they were sharing each other's company on a daily basis. Plus, he caught glance of a weird look on Dinah's face, which suggested that the psychiatrist felt the same way, regardless she didn't know Roy that well at all.

The President, however, chose this moment for his big entry, and this suppressed Oliver's troubling thoughts for a while. The man came in with confident steps and he hold his head up high, while at least a dozen bodyguards entered behind him, and spread out in the room.

Oliver saw from the corner of his eye that Icon stood even taller, as he recognized the entering man. Icon was told to be having faint memories of being a slave in a completely different lifetime, so it must've meant much to him, if only subconsciously, that one of the most powerful men in the world was actually black.

Entering the room, the President of the United States immediately stuck a protocol smile on his face, no matter there were no cameras around. Oliver presumed that this was just a bad habit every politician developed sooner or later.

"Hello, my friends! It's a real pleasure to meet the selfless protectors of our people."

He was shorter than on TV, much shorter. He stepped first to Plastic Man, who stood up so quickly that he nearly fell with the most certainly quite valuable chair.

"Good to see you! Congratulations for your Justice League membership," the President said, and he squeezed the rubbery fingers of Plastic Man. Oliver still remembered the President's grasp: one of the most confident handshakes he had ever received. "And for you as well, Atom!" The size-shifting hero was now merely a few inches tall, and Oliver wasn't sure if he did it voluntarily or he was just so stressed it happened nevertheless. It was incredibly adorable how the powerful man let Atom shake his pinky with both of his miniature arms.

The President shook hands with Icon (and called him 'brother'); got into small talk with Superman, without any sign of nervousness, though the Kryptonian was at least three times his size, not to mention his strength was incomparable to any human; kissed Dinah on the cheeks; and finally, the friendly politician was standing before Oliver.

"Green Arrow! You look good, my friend! How about we play golf together sometimes?"

Oliver smirked at this. The guy was good: the archer didn't remember if he'd ever mentioned he loved golf, but it was clear the President had his means to find it out. And while Oliver was sure that they'd never get to play together, at least not until the President was in office, the offer was still nice. Oliver nearly laughed out, as he imagined himself at a golf course in his Green Arrow outfit.

"And this is your former protégé, isn't he?" the President asked, looking at Roy now, and extending his palm. "A pleasure to meet you, son!"

Roy, still totally indifferently, reached out with his hand, leaned closer to the shorter man before him, and whispered something in his ear. This somehow alarmed Oliver: this was no polite way to treat the President. His sight moved to the hands of the two men, and he saw that Roy, instead of squeezing the palm, grabbed hold on the forearm of the man, and the President reluctantly grabbed the black armband of the redheaded hero.

Oliver knitted his brows: yeah, Roy used to perform such handshakes with his friends, Robin, Kid Flash and Aqualad, but this, just as the somewhat intimate murmuring, seemed out of place…

Then several things happened simultaneously. A loud bang, followed by a thick cloud of teargas; a crash of a window, most likely caused by an armchair flying against it. Through coughing and tears, Oliver saw the bulk of Superman moving towards the windows, confused, but totally unharmed by the gas.

"Superman… cough… Superman, wait!"

It was Dinah. Oliver saw her kneeling beside someone lying on the floor. Someone, wearing a neatly tailored suit…

_Oh, no!_

Superman took a look at the lying man, then another at the broken window. Then he sighed, and quickly picked up the unconscious President, and flew through the window holding their host in his arms, shattering the remnants of the window into debris throughout the process.

* * *

There was a picture in his valet, with himself and the thirteen year old Roy in it. They were in civvies, having ice cream, and hanging around in Star City Park. There was a familiar sparkle in Roy's eyes.

His Roy… How can someone be a murderer with such innocent eyes?

Because this was the theory now: Roy Harper, a.k.a. Red Arrow, hero of Star City, attempted to kill the President of the US. It seemed to be a ridiculous idea to Oliver, especially after the staff of the White House accused Superman with kidnapping their boss, while he was merely taking him to the nearest hospital.

Unfortunately, Batman agreed with the Secret Service on Roy's crime.

"Those guys can be wrong. But not Batman. If he says Roy did it…," Oliver mumbled to himself.

At the exact moment the automatic door slid open, and the terrifying form of Batman came through. Oliver quickly slipped his valet into the pocket of his costume, and looked at his superior.

"Speak of the devil…," Oliver mumbled, and he asked: "So, what are the news?"

Batman narrowed his eyes under his cowl, and walked to the computer terminal at the far side of the room.

"He's dead. He was practically dead when he touched Roy's armband. It was soaked with a tincture of an incredibly strong neurotoxin," he said, and started to search the computer's archives. "Superman and Wonder Woman are guarding the Vice President personally. We are afraid that he'll be the next target of the League of Shadows."

"How do you know…"

"Superman heard what Roy said to the President." Batmand probably found what he was looking for, because he turned around to face Green Arrow. "He said 'please accept the greetings of the League of Shadows'."

"Oh, my God…," whispered Oliver.

"You lied to me, Oliver," said Batman calmly, and he started a video footage.

Green Arrow knew perfectly, what he'll see on the screen. Roy Harper, rendezvousing with the assassin Cheshire in an alley of Gotham city, giving her a bunch of files…

Kissing her, removing her mask… this was the first time they saw the face of Cheshire. And this was the rope onto which Oliver Queen could hold, to save the prevent the boy from being prosecuted. The boy he loved as if he was his own son.

"You told me it was your idea, that Roy should build a contact with the Shadows. Looks like exactly the opposite happened. He double-crossed you, and you were too blind to see it, you damn fool!"

"You're supposed to be the world's greatest detective!" yelled Oliver, though he was angrier with himself than with Batman. "You should've known he was... he was a traitor!"

"I had my suspicions. We knew practically nothing about Roy Harper, save what he's been telling you. This was the exact reason why he and other protégés got only limited excess to League information. Robin and I even performed surveillance on him. It was you, who convinced me that Roy was clean. All this mess is your fault, Oliver!"

Oliver lowered his head. Batman was right, of course… but all he wanted to do was to protect Roy Harper. The Dark Knight should've understood that…

"This of course means that it would be the best for everyone, if you'd resign from the League."

That was it. The words Oliver feared the most. The Justice League meant everything to him, ever since his civil life was in tatters. But he agreed that there was no place for him in the League after all that happened.

"Just… don't tell Dinah, please!" asked Oliver pleadingly, but Batman was relentless:

"Black Canary is a member of the League. If she asks me why you quit, I won't keep it a secret. Actually, I think you should tell her. Maybe she'll understand."

_But a maybe is not enough, damnit! _thought Arrow, and he smashed a gloved fist on the chrome tabletop in front of him, feeling tears forming behind his mask.

"For now, though, I need your help."

Oliver looked up at Batman at this. His help? What could he mean?

The Caped Crusader walked back to the computer, and after a few seconds of searching, he loaded a satellite image of the Caribbean. He zoomed, until a ship became visible on the screen. He zoomed further, and Arrow saw it was a freighter, probably capable of carrying thousands of tons of cargo.

"This ship set sail from the harbor of Santa Prisca a couple of days ago. Its destination is the Port of Quebec, Canada, and it's said to be delivering bananas. I think you can guess the rest."

"It changed its direction, and headed for Gotham City," Green Arrow shook his head, as he moved closer to the screen. "I think Bane will never learn."

"You're underestimating him. Our little cat and mouse game with Bane has been a rather long lasting one, and he managed to slip through my fingers quite a number of times. During the last half year, two shipments of his drug made it to the States, always unloaded in different harbors, and somehow his thugs always approached the coast under the cover of huge storms. This time, however, he did target Gotham directly, maybe because he thought the murder of the President would be the perfect distraction, and the League will be too busy to notice," Batman shook his masked head at this, and let out an annoyed sigh. "And the truth is that he's right. All available members of the Justice League are either guarding the Vice President, or searching for your protégé. But Bane forgot about the Team. And he also forgot about me, and the fact that I'll be cautious enough to check where his ship is heading."

"So… you want the Team to secure the shipment?"

"Yes. And I want you to help the Team. And me. There's a slight chance that this will be big."

"You'll be there as well?" inquired Oliver with a curious expression on his face.

"Yes. The Venom is too dangerous to be taken lightly, especially since the Blockbuster Formula was added," said Batman, and moved towards the exit. "I'm going to brief the Team now. We should meet up at warehouse number four at Gotham Harbor at midnight. The shipment is scheduled at two A.M., but I want to make sure they won't arrive early."

"I'm really… grateful that you still trust me, Bats," told Oliver, before Batman could leave.

The dark figure of Gotham's Protector halted, and he turned halfway around.

"I understand why you did what you did, Queen. Because it's understandable: but it does make you unfit for the Justice League."

"You would've acted otherwise, right, Batman? If you were in my shoes, you would've sacrificed Robin on the altar of justice. That's what you would've done."

Batman was quiet for a second before he answered:

"Yes. I think that's correct."

* * *

Oliver was staring at the dozens of people unloading the cargo carried be the ship _Suarez. _They weren't merely Bane's men: there were many Kobra cultists among them as well. To avoid any possible traps, Batman decided to launch the attack only after they removed some of the huge crates from the top deck.

The archer took a sideways glance. He saw Batman observing the scene through infrared binoculars, and the members of Team, who were present, sitting close to one another: Robin, Kid Flash, Aqualad and Artemis. They seemed quite tense, which was no big surprise. The three boys have been friends with Roy for some time — or at least they thought they were friends —, and now they didn't understand, how could a pal of theirs turn against them.

Oliver wished that they'd never find out that he lied to the League, and probably endangered their lives with it.

And Artemis, the brave but ill-fated Artemis… She must have been upset, and more afraid her secret will pop out than ever. She didn't have anything to be afraid of, though: at least they knew who Artemis was, and this knowledge paradoxically made Batman trust her…

"Arrow," Batman said, lowering his binoculars. "I want you to go to the harbor's entrance, and tell Commissioner Gordon to stay put until further notice. I don't want to risk to use the radio…"

Oliver nodded, and started moving away from the group. He could barely hear Robin speaking in a low tone:

"Would be better if Miss M wasn't busy in Arizona… Hey, Batman, why don't you send KF? He's like born to be a messenger guy!"

Oliver stopped dead in his tracks, and turned around. Something was wrong.

"Huh?" asked Wally, hearing his name. His thoughts must've been still preoccupied with Roy's betrayal. And the others knew that, maybe this was the reason why Artemis didn't tease him since they've gotten there, not for one second. As the speedster looked around in confusion, his gaze stopped and he kept staring at a point below in the docks. "Hey, isn't that chick familiar to anyone?"

"It's Cheshire…," whispered Artemis, so silently that Oliver, hadn't he stood beside her, wouldn't hear any of her words.

But he did, and he also saw the woman, standing in the headlights of a truck.

"Give me those binoculars, Bats! I demand it! Or at least tell me what you saw."

Batman didn't look at Oliver, but he did answer.

"I'm sorry, Arrow. I wanted to keep you out of this..."

"For Heaven's sake, what's goin on?"

"It's Red Arrow. He's sitting behind the wheel of that truck. I had no clue he'll be here tonight, trust me… Maybe you should leave and wait for us to finish this."

Oliver considered it. He was afraid of confronting his former ward, but touching his bow gave the archer some extra confidence.

"No. I'm in. But I won't let anyone harm him!"

"Relax, Arrow, killing is not an item on our agenda," said Batman, and he emerged to his feet. "We're not waiting any longer. Robin, come with me! Aqualad, Kid Flash, get downstairs, and charge them when you get the signal."

The two males verified the order in unity.

"You two," Batman turned to the archers. "Stay here, and cover Aqualad and Kid Flash. Now that we know the Shadows are cooperating, it may be a very rough round."

And with that, Batman, and Robin, who seemed incredibly tiny compared to his mentor towering above everyone else, disappeared from sight. They weren't using a grappling gun or perform acrobatics: they took the stairs to avoid any attention from the working crew below. Aqualad and Kid Flash followed them closely.

The two archers sat in complete silence for a while, their musing occasionally interrupted by the voices trailing from the busy docks. Oliver watched the dim scene before him, but soon enough he noticed that Artemis was watching him. Her eyes shone a bit in the dark, mirroring eerily the spotlights and lampposts.

"I'm so sorry, Oliver," she said all of a sudden, and gathered Green Arrow in a tight hug, catching the adult archer completely off guard. And he knew that Artemis did understand him. She knew what it meant when someone close turned out to be a disappointment. "I'm so sorry!"

* * *

The sign was the familiar, creepy laughter of Robin. The two archers emerged to their feet, and started shooting arrows, one after another, to provide cover for the two members of the Team, who were now pursuing the cultists and Bane's mercenaries: Aqualad wielded his channeling weapons, and Kid Flash was hardly visible, as he ran through the docks with super speed and disarmed every enemy in his way.

Oliver and Artemis used everything they had: explosive arrows, regular arrows, foam arrows… They were firing at will until Oliver heard a familiar voice behind his back.

"Well, well… I see you aren't that down after all that happened, Arrow!"

Oliver turned around, and pointed an arrow at the slim form of Cheshire. He heared faintly that Roy's truck, loaded with Kobra Venom, was gaining speed. He knew that Commissioner Gordon's policemen wouldn't stand a chance against the turncoat archer.

"Artemis! Roy's escaping! Don't let him get away!"

"But…"

"You must stop that truck! I'll deal with the assassin myself."

"Don't do anything stupid, Sis', or else…," hissed Cheshire when she saw Artemis aiming at the speeding vehicle. The masked woman tried to throw herself on Artemis, but she couldn't come closer, because Green Arrow's weapon kept following her movements. Here, on the clear rooftop, she provided a perfect target to the expert marksman.

And Artemis didn't bother to listen to her sister. She let her arrow loose, instead: it flew through the yards between the ocean and the roof of the warehouse, and hit one of the tires of the truck.

The driver lost control of the vehicle, and in mere seconds it broke through the weak railing beside the road, and fell in the water with a loud splash.

"No!" shouted Green Arrow and Cheshire simultaneously, while Artemis was only standing, frozen, with a horrified expression on her young face.

Cheshire jumped off the roof and landed neatly on her feet, but before she could run to the aid of her beau, a batarang smashed into the side of her head, and sent her to the ground. And Batman was already there, cuffing the assassin.

"Let go off me, you fucking idiot! I gotta save him!" shrieked Cheshire, completely oblivious of the fact that her scalp was bleeding severely because of the clash with the batarang.

"I would rather worry about myself, if I were you," said Batman. "You can relax, Cheshire: help is on its way."

It was true: Oliver shot a cable arrow at the side of the _Suarez_, and now he slid down on it holding onto the limbs of his bow. After landing beside the ship, he threw himself in the cold water immediately.

He could see in the dirty water of Gotham Harbor relatively well, but it was for no use: he was too late. The truck was nowhere to be seen. He dived deeper, until his lungs started to burn for oxygen. He lit up his waterproof flashlight, because a few meters deeper the water was already dark as ink.

Finally, he took a last glance at the black waters surrounding him, and emerged for a breath of air. He only realized when his head broke through the surface that he failed. The truck, with Roy Harper in it, was swallowed for good by the hungry depths.

* * *

"It's my fault, Dinah! It's all my fault!"

"Ssh, easy, Darling! We both know it's not your fault… only an unfortunate outcome of various decisions…," said Dinah. She crouched down beside Oliver's chair after he's finished with his confession, and grabbed on his hand. Oliver was grateful that Dinah wasn't mad at him, but not even this could make him fell better.

"If I'd let Batman deal with the case…"

"…something entirely similar could've occurred. If things are to get out of control, not even Batman can do a damn thing. You were powerless with regard to a lot of things: Roy's decision to join the League of Shadows; Artemis' mean to stop the truck…"

"Don't drag her into this! She was following my order!"

"I know, sweetie, I know. Please, stop yelling!" said Black Canary, and Oliver saw her trying in vain to hide tears of compassion while squeezing her boyfriend's huge hand.

They stopped their conversation, because familiar footsteps were approaching: surprisingly light footsteps, especially considering the person of their owner. The big, demoralizing form of Batman entered the lounge of the cave deep in the heart of Mount Justice.

"Speak of the devil," said Dinah and Oliver simultaneously, and Oliver finally managed a sad little smirk.

"I have good news," started Batman without a greeting. "We were able to contact him."

For a moment none of the two adult heroes understood what Batman was talking about, but then it slowly dawned on Oliver.

"You mean… Roy? But how? He's…"

"It seems he's tougher and craftier than you thought, Arrow. Black Canary: I have a plan to capture him. Are you willing to help, or you're too busy mending together what's left of Oliver?"

Dinah sent a murderous look towards Batman, but then she nodded slowly.

"I'm in."

"And I'm in too! There's nothing to mend together, now that I know he's alive…," said Green Arrow, and he pushed himself to his feet.

"Are you sure you're ready?"

"Look, Bats, I have to face this to heal. I have to face _him_. This is the only way."

Batman's eyes narrowed at that, and he held up his gloved index finger.

"Don't screw it up, Arrow! I mean it: don't!"

"Oh boy, chill, already! Even if I screw it up, there will be someone there to make up for my mistake," Oliver said, and took a sideways glance at the smirking Dinah.

* * *

He was watching the scene before him from beneath his hood. In front of them, surrounded by several cultists — and the former hero known as Red Arrow —, the notorious Kobra stood, tall and ugly like a tree which has been distorted by some horrible disease. He had a tremendous bulk and wore serpent-like features, and he practically growled at the assassin Cheshire, who was standing right in front of him. The woman wore a bandage under her grinning cat-mask, a reminder of her encounter with the Dark Knight.

"What happened? My slaves said you were caught by Batman."

"These two helped me escape. We retrieved some of the shipment as well."

Oliver and Dinah, disguised as Kobra cultists, performed the complicated ritual bow again, just like when they entered the sanctuary of the shrine, one of Kobra's secret hideouts.

Kobra merely flashed a glance at them, and then he started to walk away to the back of the compound, toward a secret door behind the altar.

"Good work, loyal worshippers! You will be well rewarded. Young archer, please, supervise my servants as they secure the shipment."

"Sure."

The fearsome man (with the lack of a better word) stopped for a second, and frowned at Roy. Oliver deduced that he was used to more humble and polite affirmations. Then again, Roy could never stand authority: it looked like this wasn't a counterfeit characteristic.

As the snake-like man disappeared, Cheshire immediately shot forward, removed her mask, and kissed the young man. Roy returned the kiss, and when they parted, he was smiling.

"Don't you smile like that! For a few moments you totally fooled me with that dive you made."

"Nice performance, huh? I had to make it look good; I had to outsmart Batman, after all. Good work whit the shipment, by the way! Looks like Bats and co. are still underestimating our little duo."

"Thanks, handsome," said Cheshire, interlocking their fingers. "C'mon, we earned a few minutes alone."

She dragged Roy in a small storage room, while Oliver and Dinah were following them silently. When Roy wanted to close the door, Oliver put his leg between door and frame.

"Hey, what are you…"

Oliver quickly pushed Roy in the chest, and Cheshire placed a mediocre blow to his head. It was not enough to knock him out cold, but did make it possible to Cheshire to pull him further into the room, and push him against the wall.

"Jade! What are you doing?" asked Roy, struggling to utter words, because his face was smashed into concrete.

Oliver and Dinah removed their hoods, and Cheshire let Roy go. The guy turned around, hands balled into fists and held up protectively, but when he recognized Oliver, he lowered his hands.

"Wow, Ollie. What the hell?" Roy sent a glare at Cheshire. "You brought them here? What were you…"

"I'm doing it for you, asshole! I thought… I thought you died back there!" yelled Cheshire. "You know, I never gave a shit doing the dirty work for the Shadows, until now. But after what happened earlier tonight… I love you, and I couldn't stand seeing you dead or imprisoned! The whole Justice League is after you. You should disappear for a while…"

"Right, like these two star pupils would let me go."

"I'm ready to make a deal, Roy," said Green Arrow suddenly.

"Oliver!" snapped Dinah. "This is not what we're here for!"

"It seems Cheshire doesn't agree with you. It was her plan all along to bargain their freedom. And we can't risk that she'll turn against us right now."

"Wow, you're smarter than you look…er, can I call you dad?" mocked Cheshire.

"Here's what I'm willing to offer," said Green Arrow, turning to Roy. "I'll let you escape this time: you can flee through the sewers. It's the only exit which isn't guarded by League members. But in exchange for that, we're taking Cheshire."

Red Arrow moved like lightning: he pulled an arrow from his quiver, and pointed it at Oliver. His face was distorted with rage.

"This is your ultimatum? I can go, but leave her to your mercy? I'm gonna tell you something, Ollie: she was the reason why I agreed to help the League of Shadows. She's the reason why I have blood on my hands. Do you think, after all of that, it would cost me sleepless nights to get rid of you, or…," he turned his aim from his former mentor to the shocked Black Canary, "or your pretty little girlfriend?"

Oliver couldn't repress his laughter any longer. This was the best answer he could get. It was better than what he actually expected.

"You're my boy, after all! Get moving, both of you: I'm calling in reinforcements in five minutes, and you know how quick Flash can be…"

"What? You're letting me… letting _us_ go? But why?" asked Roy, with a puzzled expression, and he slowly lowered his bow.

"Because you're motives are not evil, Roy. Had you agreed on leaving without this girl here, I'd shot you in the throat without any hesitation," said Oliver, and he opened the door, and made impatient gestures towards the exit. "Come on, we don't have all night."

"Thank you, Ollie," said Roy, visibly touched, and he squeezed the broad shoulder of his mentor.

"You're welcome, kid. Please, try not to think too much about the things you have done. Trust me, it doesn't pay off with good health," said Green Arrow, with a smirk playing on his lips, before taking a glance at the smiling Cheshire. "Keep an eye on him, okay? Don't let him get in trouble!"

"You can trust me, pops!" Jade said, and she placed a soft kiss on Oliver's cheek, before steering Roy through the door.

Oliver stared at the empty doorframe for seconds which seemed like eternity. He saw from the corner of his eye that Dinah stepped beside her, still awestruck of the scene before her.

"Tell me I'm just stoned. Tell me you didn't actually let them go!"

"Is it a problem?" asked Oliver, not daring to look her in the eye. "Do you think I'm a fool to trust them… to trust _him_?"

"You know Roy Harper better than anyone in this world. If you say that he was honest, I can't contradict you," Dinah said, and, cupping Oliver's face in her palms, she slowly turned his visage towards her. "If you really believe in them, you made the right choice. It would hardly be the answer for two young person's problems to get locked up in prison for years. And they deserve a second chance. Everyone does."

"You know, Dinah, I'm really happy when you're here with me. Will it be the same if I'd quit the League? Because it will be inevitable."

"Hey, sweetheart, I wasn't dating you because you're famous," giggled Dinah, and she grabbed on the muscular arm of his man, and leant her gorgeous head against him. "There's only one problem: I don't know yet how should I fool Batman. He'll kinda see right through me, when he'll interrogate me about what happened here."

"You're the psychiatrist. You'll figure it out," said Oliver, and he turned his radio on, in order to call for the beginning of the raid on Kobra's shrine.

* * *

**A/N: Remember, kids: murdering people is still a very, very bad thing to do! Reviewing is sexy, though^^**


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